About the Session
Join us for this exciting Facilitating Learning Online (FLO) session in partnership with Vancouver Island University. 
Jessica Gemella and Anwen Burk are curriculum, teaching, and learning specialists with the Centre for Innovation in Education and Learning (CIEL) at Vancouver Island University (VIU). Responding to faculty requests on how best to use emerging technologies in their classroom, Jessica built a digital literacy toolkit. Anwen was subsequently invited to collaborate on expanding it.
The result? A toolkit designed to support higher education professionals to facilitate conversations on the ethical use of digital technologies for meaningful collaborations within digital communities. Specifically, this toolkit aims to support faculty in collaboratively creating class agreements addressing issues such as ethical digital technology use, netiquette, and digital citizenship, all in service of maintaining overall well-being.
This toolkit helps learning communities to:
- Consider the ethical and legal implications of collecting and disseminating digital information
- Assess the risks and benefits of having an online presence
- Establish healthy limits with technology to maintain well-being
- Engage in meaningful communication and collaboration with digital communities
- Explore how digital tools such as artificial intelligence (AI) can extend teaching and learning opportunities
The overarching goal is to make this digital literacy toolkit adaptable for widespread adoption. As such, it will be available to reuse and adapt.
Join us for this free one-hour virtual FLO session! You will participate in a co-creation activity and be asked to reflect on the process and the outcomes. Participants will be invited to start thinking about how they could use the toolkit at their institutions and how it could be adapted for their use.
Register now!
This session will be recorded, archived, and made available publicly on BCcampus.ca. By participating in this session, you acknowledge you are aware your participation in this session will be recorded and the recording will be openly available.
About the Facilitators
Your FLO facilitators for this FLO Friday session will be Anwen Burk and Jessica Gemella.
Anwen Burk (she/her) is a curriculum, teaching and learning specialist at VIU’s Nanaimo campus. She is particularly interested in how technology can be leveraged to make learning more flexible, accessible, and human centered. She previously worked at the University of Alberta as an instructor and as digital learning consultant, and at Red Deer Polytechnic as an instructional designer. She lives on the traditional and unceded territory of the Snuneymuxw First Nation with her husband and her cat.
Jessica Gemella (she/her) is a curriculum, teaching, and learning specialist (CTLS) at VIU, situated on the traditional lands of the Coast Salish peoples including the Snuneymuxw, Snaw-Naw-As, Quw’utsun, and Tla’amin. Jessica has a background in teaching horticulture and has also served as VIU’s trades and applied technology CTLS. With a commitment to enhancing the quality of digital education, Jessica is pursuing a Master of Arts in Learning and Technology at Royal Roads University. Her research interests centre on building resilience in higher education, faculty development, and digital literacy.
About the Session:
Educators have described their classes and institutions as “safe spaces” with increasing frequency and certainty since the 1990s. This certainty, implying that a safe space is somehow better for learning outcomes, has been widely adopted with little critical consideration of what it truly means and what is expected when an educational space is labeled “safe”.
Join this free one-hour Facilitating Learning Online (FLO) discussion, exploring “safe space” as an educational metaphor unconsciously communicating both explicit and implicit expectations about the nature of teaching and learning relationships.
Learning Outcomes:
By the end of this session, participants will be able to:
- Recognize “safe space” as an educational metaphor
- Explain their obligations to others when they welcome them to a safe space
- Identify the implicit promises others make when a place or situation is labeled a safe space
Register Now!
This session will be recorded, archived, and made available publicly on BCcampus.ca. By participating in this session, you acknowledge you are aware your participation will be recorded and the recording will be openly available.
About the Facilitator:
Your FLO Friday Facilitator for this session will be Bhuvinder Vaid.
Bhuvinder Singh Vaid (he/him/his) is a philosopher of education and an educational developer at the Centre for Teaching Excellence at Capilano University. Bhuvinder’s nearly two decades of work in higher education and consultancy with subject-matter experts are informed by his recognition that teaching and learning exist as uniquely relational practices that are not easily standardized. This understanding has informed his work studying the positionality of seemingly straightforward educational concepts such as safe spaces, efficiency, free speech, and most recently, how to pedagogically engage with Coast Salish canoe stories. You can reach him at bhuvindervaid@capilanou.ca.
About the Session:
Do you want to create a learning environment that considers the diverse lived experiences of your students? In this three-hour Facilitating Learning Online (FLO) Lab session, we will start by exploring current frameworks for course design (such as Universal Design for Learning and quality assurance) and determine what is “missing” with these frameworks from an equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) perspective. We will then explore at least two different approaches to incorporate principles of EDI into the course design and development process. We will conclude with space for critical reflection and co-creation of strategies for implementing these changes. 
This session will be beneficial for anyone who is interested in moving away from the status quo in course design and becoming an agent of change!
Please note: This session will not be recorded. Registrants should plan to attend the full three hours for an optimal learning experience.
Learning Objectives:
By the end of the session, participants will be able to:
- Explain shortcomings of existing approaches or frameworks to course design from an EDI perspective
- Discuss the challenges they may encounter in their current course design process from an individual, interpersonal, and institutional perspective, and how to overcome them
- Reflect on how to apply a critical, collaborative and wholistic approach to their course design and development process
Register now!
About the Facilitator:
Your FLO Facilitator for this FLO Lab is Randeep Nota.
Randeep (she/her) is a second-generation Punjabi settler. She is a consultant whose work comprises educational development and program and policy reviews. She is concurrently pursuing her PhD at the University of Toronto, focused on work, learning, and social change. Randeep has experience working in post-secondary institutions in British Columbia, Alberta, and Ontario in various teaching, staff, and management roles. She has researched and presented nationally and internationally on topics including anti-racism policies and practices in the post-secondary sector; incorporating equity, diversity, and inclusion practices in course design; the internationalization of higher education; the use of technology in post-secondary teaching and learning; and the (un)ethical use of surveillance in learning. Prior to her work as an educational consultant, Randeep provided pedagogical consultations for credit and non-credit, online and hybrid courses, and worked on program development, and quality assurance reporting for diploma and degree-granting programs.
About the MicroCourse:
Join us for this free one-week Facilitating Learning Online (FLO) MicroCourse offering you opportunities to reframe some of the pedagogical approaches that could be hindering your journey towards reconciliation. 
Each day will introduce a new approach or resource aimed at weaving Indigenous perspectives into our practice, fostering decolonization and expanding our teaching repertoire.
Learning Outcomes:
- Become acquainted with the B.C. Government’s distinctions-based approach.
- Reflect on what hinders us, and what motivates us, to do the work of decolonization and reconciliation.
- Share similarities and differences in our practice.
- Create visions for the future based on our individual contexts and collective aspirations.
While most of the learning will happen asynchronously, we have one optional synchronous session planned on Wednesday, September 25, 2024, from 12:00 to 1:30 p.m.
To get the most out of this learning experience, participants should expect to invest 2.5 asynchronous hours each day to review and reflect on the course materials and resources.
Register now!
About the Facilitator:
Your FLO facilitator for this course is Dr. Carmen Rodriguez de France.
Carmen (she/her) is of Indigenous heritage from the Kickapoo Nation in Northeast México. She acknowledges the privilege and responsibilities she holds for living on the land of the W̱SÁNEĆ Nation, and the lək̓ʷəŋən people from the Songhees and Esquimalt Nations in the province of British Columbia. Born and raised in Monterrey, Carmen is a member of the Department of Indigenous Education at the University of Victoria, where her teaching and research focus on social justice, anti-racist education, and the experiences of in-service and pre-service teachers. Carmen’s career in education spans almost 40 years, previously working as a teacher in Mexico. She is expanding her work outside academia as a consultant for a variety of organizations such as the National Film Board, Intercultural Association of Victoria, and the Affiliation of Multicultural Societies and Service Agencies of B.C.
About the FLO MicroCourse
In this Facilitating Learning Online (FLO) MicroCourse, participants will learn a design and creation paradigm for creating engaging educational videos. During the week, each participant will create a short video using the principles learned in this MicroCourse.
Video has tremendous power, both to support learning in the classroom and for educational outreach on social media. Engaging, visually interesting, and compelling videos can be highly effective tools for learning. The video creation principles in this MicroCourse blend research and practical experience.
Learning Objectives
Upon completion of this course, participants in this workshop will be able to:
- Understand the fundamental principles of effective video design;
- Generate ideas for compelling educational topics that work well in the video medium;
- Refine a video idea into a concrete script with accompanying graphics;
- Create technically proficient videos with high-quality audio and visual recordings edited into a polished final product; and
- Understand the different success metrics for educational videos intended for outreach on social media and instructional videos intended for courses.
While most of the learning will happen asynchronously, two synchronous sessions are planned. These sessions will be recorded for those who cannot attend. Monday, October 7, 1:00-2:00 p.m. and Friday, October 11, 11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
Participants should expect to spend at least one additional hour per day on coursework. Please put aside the time in your calendar for an optimal learning experience.
Register now!
Please note: Synchronous sessions will be recorded, archived, and made available to course registrants. By participating in this session, you acknowledge you are aware that your participation may be recorded and the recording will be available to other course registrants.
About the Facilitator
Your FLO facilitator for this session will be Dr. Trefor Bazett.
Trefor (he/his) is an assistant teaching professor in the Mathematics and Statistics Department at the University of Victoria. Trefor has also built a YouTube channel with over 500 math education videos that have been viewed almost 40 million times. As a professor, Trefor uses video extensively in his online and flipped classrooms.
About the Session:
Join us for this free one-hour Facilitating Learning Online (FLO) session highlighting different aspects of being mindful in our selection, use, and purpose for bringing technology into the classroom.
Topics range from protecting personal information, to providing alternatives if students are uncomfortable sharing digital data within a platform, to offering multiples ways of engaging with technology including being anonymous or using pseudonyms, and always making it clear to students why we are asking them to engage with a specific tool.
Learning Outcomes:
By the end of this session, you will be able to:
- Engage in small group discussions when prompted with a case-study scenario, focusing on how best to support students while proposing at least one solution or action point.
- Critically evaluate your own use of different technologies, including Zoom.
- Participate in dialogues with colleagues around key tenets of B.C.’s Digital Literacy Framework and how it relates to your use of technology in the classroom.
Register now!
This session will be recorded, archived, and made available publicly on BCcampus.ca. By participating in this session, you acknowledge you are aware your participation will be recorded and the recording will be openly available.
About the Facilitator:
Your FLO Facilitator for this session is Dr. Gerry Gourlay.
Gerry (she/her) gratefully acknowledges the traditional territory of the lək̓ʷəŋən peoples as the land and place where she currently lives and works. Holding a PhD in biology from University of Victoria (UVic), Gerry concurrently completed an accredited graduate certificate for learning and teaching in higher education. As an instructional skills workshop trainer and facilitator, she teaches in STEM and education, while working as an independent educational developer.
Gerry is the program and volunteer manager for the Science Fair Foundation B.C. Previously, she was the TA coordinator in the Division of Learning and Teaching Support and Innovation at UVic. Gerry’s portfolio encompasses a wide range of topics, including creating strong learning outcomes, ensuring course alignment, supporting all learners while providing choice for students, appropriately using artificial intelligence in the classroom, exploring alternative assessments in STEM, and implementing digital literacy skills to better aid and support students.
When not teaching, Gerry volunteers with and supports youth through the Canadian Association for Girls in Science as the coordinator for the Victoria chapter.
About the Session:
Teaching is often a solitary practice; we rarely invite colleagues into our classrooms or see how our colleagues teach. This is often due to academic structures and because it can feel intimidating. However, discussions and feedback from peers can help us strengthen our teaching skills, including online teaching.
During this Facilitating Learning Online (FLO) MicroCourse, you will learn about research on “paired teaching” and “Teaching Triangles,” two programs that promote professional development through mutual observation and discussion. Key features of productive mutual observations include:
- Each instructor articulating their own goals for learning from the process,
- Giving space for both the teacher and the observer to learn from observations, and
- Establishing what makes productive (and non-productive) feedback.
This FLO MicroCourse will prepare participants to engage in reciprocal peer observations for professional development, if they choose to do so (optionally after the course). Participants will have the chance to identify where they might like peer feedback on their teaching and examine any potential fears around being observed. They will gain practical experience in observing teaching, giving productive feedback, and learning from these observations. We will discuss equity considerations in observations and giving and receiving feedback. At the end of the course, participants interested in continuing reciprocal observations will be paired with a fellow participant.
Learning Outcomes:
Upon completion of this course, participants will have the opportunity to:
- Feel excited about learning from reciprocal observations
- Recognize the value of teaching observations for both the observed teacher and the observer
- Reflect on areas of their own teaching where they would like feedback and/or inspiration
- Know features of positive productive feedback, including equity considerations in giving and receiving feedback
- Experience reflecting and giving feedback in a practice observing scenario online
- Reflect on potential fears or challenges of being observed
Participants should anticipate at least one hour per day of asynchronous learning. Two optional synchronous sessions are planned for the week:
- Tuesday, November 19, noon to 1 p.m.
- Friday, November 22, noon to 1 p.m.
While attendance is encouraged, the sessions will be recorded for those who cannot attend.
Registration coming soon!
About the Facilitator:
Your FLO facilitator for this FLO MicroCourse is Linda Strubbe.
Linda (she/her), Ph.D., is a Vancouver-based independent educational consultant for science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) higher education at Strubbe Educational Consulting. Linda is passionate about supporting educators’ collaboration, agency, and joy in teaching. Through workshops, communities of practice, and curriculum development, she supports university faculty in North America and beyond in developing skills for effective and equitable teaching. She also supports STEM education projects as an external evaluator.
Linda’s doctorate is in astrophysics from the University of California, Berkeley, and she has postdoctoral experience in physics and astronomy education research and faculty development in both Canada and the U.S. She was a Science Teaching & Learning Fellow with the Carl Wieman Science Education Initiative (CWSEI) at the University of British Columbia (2015-18). Linda is also co-director for the Pan-African School for Emerging Astronomers (PASEA), and has worked with the University of Central Asia, American Physical Society, and American Association of Physics Teachers. She is excited to work with BC Campus to offer this new FLO MicroCourse!
About the Lab:
This three-hour Facilitating Learning Online (FLO) Lab is designed to engage post-secondary social science educators and aims to explore the concept of digital scholarship through the lens of digital humanities.
The workshop’s objective is to enhance participants’ understanding of digital literacy as outlined in British Columbia’s Digital Literacy Framework, with a focus on the critical use of digital resources in scholarship, teaching, and learning.
A key component of the lab is the exploration of digital humanities tools, including text analysis, mapping, and data visualization. Through hands-on engagement with these tools, participants will discuss their application in social science research and teaching. This aligns with the Digital Literacy Framework’s emphasis on the practical application of digital tools and resources.
Participants will also conceptualize a digital scholarship project relevant to their research or teaching interests. This activity encourages participants to apply their learning from the lab to their own work, fostering innovation and creativity in digital scholarship. While parts of this session might be recorded, participants are encouraged to attend all three hours to get the most out of the lab.
Learning Outcomes:
- Understand the concept of digital scholarship: participants will gain a clear understanding of what constitutes digital scholarship and its significance in the social sciences.
- Explore digital humanities tools: participants will learn about various digital humanities tools and resources that can be integrated into social science research and teaching.
- Develop digital scholarship projects: participants will conceptualize a digital scholarship project relevant to their research or teaching interests.
Registration coming soon!
About the Facilitator:
Your FLO Facilitator for this session is Dr. Siobhán Rachel Wittig McPhee.
Siobhán (she/her) is an associate professor of teaching at the University of British Columbia. In her role, Siobhán sees herself as an academic and an educator, dedicated to encouraging students and equipping them with the tools they need to succeed academically and in life. With an interdisciplinary background, Siobhán has the capability to explore and deliver alternative and engaging approaches to learning.
Siobhán’s focus on teaching and learning centres around the development of online tools, activities, and experiential learning techniques. Her educational research includes location-aware technologies, augmented reality, and alternative methods of knowledge mobilization, especially with application of digital literacy and digital scholarship. Her research explores interactive, place-based digital storytelling to generate empathy and engagement in social justice issues. It is this research that Siobhán is drawing on in facilitating the FLO Lab.
About the Workshop
This one-hour Facilitating Learning Online (FLO) Friday workshop will explore the transformative power of learner-centred design in fostering inclusivity in virtual educational settings. Drawing on the wisdom of group collaboration and leveraging tools and techniques from Liberating Structures, this session will delve into practical strategies and innovative approaches to design culturally safe and inclusive learning experiences, celebrate diversity, accommodate varying learning styles, and promote participation.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:
- Network with peers to share their learning and classroom design challenges and experiences,
- Experiment with several Liberating Structures promoting participant and learning engagement an online environment,
- Compare their experience to learning and teaching principles and practices, focusing on designing and creating safe and inclusive learning spaces, and
- Reflect on the use of Liberating Structures in their own, and their learners’ contexts.
Registration coming soon!
About the Facilitator:
Your FLO Friday facilitator is Kele Fleming.
Kele (she/they) is an artist, facilitator, learning designer, educator, singer-songwriter, podcast host, and proud member of the LGBTQIA2S+ community with extensive experience in both the public and private sectors. As a young university student, she remembers not seeing her identity and experiences represented in anything she was learning. Contributing to making learning experiences and teaching practices more inclusive is one of her life’s callings. Kele’s work has spanned multiple decades, and she has led and contributed to innovative practice and community-building organizations large and small. She served as associate director at the University of British Columbia’s Centre for Teaching, Learning and Technology (CTLT). Her work and creative practice are guided by principles of inclusion, collaboration, respect, and reconciliation.
About the Session:
Join us for this free, one-hour Facilitating Learning Online (FLO) Friday workshop on how sound can be effectively used in an online learning environment.
This presentation explores the principles of sonic pedagogy and demonstrates practical applications for online teaching. Participants will learn about the integration of user-friendly audio tools, discover creative approaches to curriculum design, and learn techniques for optimizing student engagement through intentional soundscapes. This presentation closely examines the relationship between sound and education, offering practical skills and strategies to enhance the online teaching experience.
Learning Outcomes:
- Gain a foundational understanding of sonic pedagogy and its significance in the online educational context.
- Acquire practical skills in applying user-friendly audio recording and editing tools to online teaching.
- Explore effective strategies for integrating sound into lesson plans and curriculum design in an online teaching environment.
- Develop the ability to design creative and engaging lesson plans leveraging sound elements to enhance the online learning experience.
- Understand strategies for optimizing student engagement through the strategic use of sound in online teaching.
This presentation is tailored for online educators, instructional designers, and anyone passionate about the art of sound to enhance online teaching experience.
Register now!
This notice is to inform you that this session will be recorded, archived, and made available publicly on BCcampus.ca. By participating in this session, you acknowledge that your participation in this session will be recorded and the recording will be made available openly.
About the Facilitator:
Your FLO Facilitator for this session is John Born.
John (he/his) is the manager of the educational media team at the Centre for Educational Excellence at Simon Fraser University (SFU). In this role, he provides technical and pedagogical expertise in multimedia for face-to-face, blended, and online teaching environments. Before joining SFU, he worked at the British Columbia Institute of Technology’s Learning & Teaching Centre as an educational technology specialist and at the Centre for Enhanced Teaching and Learning at the University of New Brunswick (UNB) in educational technology and as a multimedia specialist. He holds a diploma in sound design from Vancouver Film School and a Master of Education in instructional design. His teaching experience includes eight years as a sound instructor in the multimedia studies program at UNB, as well as three years at the Centre for Arts and Technology. Outside of work, he is passionate about jazz music, sound design, and field recording.